Getting new phone after loss

Fabrice

Hello,

I'll try to be as concise as possible.

I lost my mobile phone on holiday (Orange PAYG).
I got back on Thursday 21st, reported it at an Orange shop on Saturday 23rd between Good Friday and Easter.
At the shop they put you through on the phone to the right department to deal with it.
My SIM card then got barred and I could keep my number. I was also promised, I quote:
"you have been with us for quite a while Mr ___ , so as a good gesture we'll send a brand new handset+SIM to you on Tuesday (26th - after Easter Monday) by courrier."

OK, cool. Nothing arrived on Tuesday. Back to the shop on Wednesday, on the phone to customer services, I quote:
"oh, probably due to the bank holiday, you know... it should be with you today."

Wednesday nothing, Thursday nothing. Friday, royal wedding.
Saturday 30th (1 week on) back to the shop, on the phone to customer services, I quote:
"... well it usually takes 3 to 5 working days to..."
To that i said, "well, couldn't you have told me that before? you said you would send it by courrier and you've had 3 days to do it"
Followed some half-apology, as i was getting a bit angry, i got put on hold abruptly and for ages. When back, i was promised delivery for Sunday!! what the f !

I told my partner to call them on Sunday and have a good go at them because she's really good at it, you know, polite but firm and throwing terms like "pursuing the matter further" and all that.
Again, i was promised a delivery on Wednesday 4th May by UKMail between 9am and 6pm.
Guess what? Nothing.

I have got the box, the receipt and all the information about my lost phone and SIM and the shop I bought it from.

Do I have to keep on ringing Orange customer services (which i supposed are not necessaily malicious about this matter, just purely and utterly incompetent)?
Or is the shop somehow liable to sort it out for me?

Excuse my long story,
Many thanks

Jon_01

The shops and the people you speak to in CS are run as completely separate company's. So if CS have offered you a replacement it's wholly down to them to follow through with it.

I have to say, I've never known payg CS to offer a replacement phone ? Unless you're spending lots a month that is??

grumbler

I have got the box, the receipt and all the information about my lost phone and SIM and the shop I bought it from.

Or is the shop somehow liable to sort it out for me?

If you mean the handset, I don't think they are liable as it was a gesture of goodwill. I'd say it is very strange that they offered a free replacement handset to a PAYG customer. However, they must send the sim ASAP because you can't make calls without it.

Having said that, you can get a basic handset for £0.01-£4.90 plus £10 topup (can be sold on e-bay or, probably, transferred to your replacement sim when it arrives) from mobiles.co.uk/e2save with £6-7 TCB cashback. Some PAYG phones are £4.90 at Orange as well.

Fabrice

Thank you.

I'm going to be without a phone for 2 weeks now on Saturday, i have epilepsy (controlled, but...) so i might need it for emergency and hospital might need to contact me (vice/versa), so not being able to chat with friends is the least of my frustration.
I don't care if they don't offer me a new handset; i was actually very surprised when they promised that. I certainly can afford a new handset and £10 topup, especially as my previous one was as basic as you could get. I just need to receive calls, to call I.C.E. and the odd text. Plus a very good alarm function as i have to take tablets twice a day.

Guys_Dad

I'd invest £15 in a spare from CPW until you get the replacement - if you get it! Always good to have a spare handset around and an unlocked one for a couple of quid from CPW seems like a sound investment.

Fabrice

Guys_Dad wrote: »

I'd invest £15 in a spare from CPW until you get the replacement - if you get it! Always good to have a spare handset around and an unlocked one for a couple of quid from CPW seems like a sound investment.

I'm not quite sure what you mean here.
Which one cost £15 and which one cost £2?
Which one is unlocked? Sorry, i'm genuinely confused. I'll have a different number too won't I?

imaginarynumber

Most PAG phones at the carphone warehouse are sold network unlocked. They will charge you more if you want to buy it without a SIM card. I guess becasue of the way that the network susidies work.

eg for £2.95 so long as top top up a tenner vith Virgin (handset only is £19.95)

http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/mobiles/mobile-phones/ALCATEL-OT-209/PPAY&clearance=false

Please do follow the link and read the first review- the proper sick one

Yes you will have a different number but atleast you will have a spare (unlocked) phone when Orange send you a new one.

I don't understand why the Orange store couldn't give you a replacemant SIM at the time.

Fabrice

imaginarynumber wrote: »

http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/mobiles/mobile-phones/ALCATEL-OT-209/PPAY&clearance=false

Please do follow the link and read the first review- the proper sick one

oh that is a brilliant review.
age group: 50+ :rotfl:
i use this phone for: business :cool:

I don't understand why the Orange store couldn't give you a replacemant SIM at the time.

Me neither

Guys_Dad

Fabrice wrote: »

I'm not quite sure what you mean here.
Which one cost £15 and which one cost £2?
Which one is unlocked? Sorry, i'm genuinely confused. I'll have a different number too won't I?

Sorry - should have made it clearer. PAYG handsets require a £10 sim to be purchased as well, as per Grumbler's post. He said, correctly, that handsets can be obtained from 1p - £4.99. So I said, generically, a couple of quid plus the £10 top up.

99% of CPW cheap handsets are unlocked.

As for the different number, keep the £10 sim for making 0845 calls and use your existing replacement sim/number.

imaginarynumber

Hi GuysDad

Have you read the review yet- it's the funniest I have seen to date :j

Fabrice

I bet the reviewer likes the "Fake incoming call function"